Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The New Testament Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 30, 2018

Note: This release is available as part of Sacha Guitry: Four Films 1936-1938.

The back cover of the slipbox of this new Arrow Academy release makes the case that Sacha Guitry was the Gallic Noël Coward, but I’d like to offer another, perhaps decidedly more outré, comparison. While it may sound a little cheeky, something I won’t argue too much with, in a way Sacha Guitry might be thought of as the Tyler Perry of his time, despite their obvious differences in nationality and ethnicity. Much as with Perry’s ubiquitous output, Guitry seemed almost preternaturally able to write both plays at the drop of a veritable hat, many of which he filmed, as well as original screenplays written expressly for the big screen. Additionally, Guitry frequently starred in these productions, though I have yet to be able to discover any cross dressing (a la Madea). Perhaps most saliently, at least for some curmudgeons (ahem) who have found at least occasional deficits in Perry’s writing and execution, even some experts quizzed as talking heads in supplements included on this new set unashamedly mention, some of Guitry’s offerings were decidedly on the pedestrian side. This may be especially ironic, given Guitry’s association with so-called (and I’m about to pun horribly) “Boulevard Theater”. Within this kind of wide ranging style that was often aimed at the popular masses (as opposed to the intelligentsia), Guitry was well known for playing “boulevardier” roles, “slackers” of a sort who nonetheless often had peculiarly observant qualities that frequently allowed them to act as almost individual Greek Choruses in plays and films, offering trenchant commentary on the foibles of whomever they were watching, supposedly from the sidelines. (The fact that “Boulevard Theater” was in fact aimed at the supposedly common everyday working stiff sort is one reason that I might quibble a bit with the Coward comparison, since Coward’s work was typically fairly highbrow.) The four films in this set are in fact filmed versions of plays, and as such are almost unavoidably theatrical, though it’s interesting to see Guitry experimenting with then still fairly new techniques like long tracking shots within confined areas. Three of the four films have at least some things in common with Coward outings (and in fact Perry outings), positing fractured family relationships that often revolved around things like marital infidelity. The fourth film in the set, Let’s Go Up the Champs-Élysees might be thought of as a “limited French edition” of Mel Brooks’ History of the World: Part I, with the focal element being the famous titular boulevard.

The New Testament’s title may sound Biblical, but if it is, it’s not in the way that might be assumed, and indeed might at least have certain Old Testament elements, as in that somewhat famous proscription about coveting your neighbor’s wife (or, in this case, spouse). There is another element at play in this parlor comedy, one that commentator Ginette Vincendeau refers to as “another performance” (in this case, filmed) of one of Guitry’s plays, and that is Paul’s equally famous proscription in 1 Timothy that the love of money is the root of all evil.

Guitry portrays a doctor named Jean Marcelin, a well to do “great man” (as VIncendeau refers to this type which Guitry often played) who nonetheless is being cuckolded by his wife, Lucie (Betty Daussmond). When Marcelin’s secretary takes off for another job, he hired pretty young medical student Juliette Lecourtois (Jacqueline Delubac), whose employment generates considerable umbrage in Lucie despite her own infidelity. All of this intrigue plays out against a subplot whereby Marcelin’s will is being revised (get it? — the new testament).

In some ways, The New Testament does in fact play at least a bit like some of Coward’s own parlor comedies, though there’s a somewhat less high falutin’ quality, as in the completely silly interchange between Marcelin and his wife where they devolve into nonsensical whispering as they discuss the potential hiring of Juliette, or in the gag involving various names the Marcelins give their harried butler. There are also at least hints of misogyny permeating this piece (Vincendeau is on record as stating this is a recurring motif in many of Guitry’s works, and they're an undeniable element in passing moments of My Father Was Right and Let's Make a Dream. . .) that would probably never be at home in a Coward piece, something that plays out in discussions Marcelin has where he teases a former mistress of his as to whether Juliette is his new mistress or his daughter. If that’s not enough to raise your eyebrows, The New Testament may provide passable amusement, if not any outsized guffaws.

The New Testament Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

All four films in the Sacha Guitry box set are presented courtesy of Arrow Academy with AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. Arrow's insert booklet only offers fairly generic verbiage about the transfers, stating they were culled from "original film and audio elements" that Gaumont delivered in high definition to Arrow for this release. All four transfers are rather similar in terms of strengths and weaknesses, so I'll address them as a whole, with some specific comments about individual aspects. Grain is quite heavy in all of these presentations, which, along with some variant contrast and fairly noticeable softness, may indicate that solid primary elements were no longer available for these films. All four transfers have their fair share of damage, including things like scratches (some quite recurrent and long lasting) and warped frames, along with intermittent flicker. For example, while there are some short passing scratches in The New Testament early on, especially toward the right side of the frame, at around 33:36 a large vertical scratch toward the middle of the frame shows up and is present, with a few brief exceptions, for quite a bit of the rest of the film (see screenshot 1 of this review and you'll see it quite clearly running through Guitry's face). My Father Was Right has what looks like photochemical damage that creates almost spore like splotches that are also recurrent for much of the early part of the film, and which pop up again later, and which are especially noticeable when backgrounds are lighter. Some opticals, as in the dissolves that are used in Let's Go Up the Champs-Élysées, can occasionally look a little rough as well. All of this said, with an understanding of the age and historical importance of these works, Arrow is providing a decent viewing experience that presents these works in an organic way that may be a little rough on occasion, but which show no annoying signs of overly aggressive digital manipulation.

The New Testament Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with the video presentation, the four French LPCM Mono tracks on the films in this set all have a fairly similar sound. There's noticeable hiss on all four of them, something that can tend to slightly mask higher frequencies in the rather appealing music scores that accompany the films. Dialogue is also pretty boxy sounding, and occasionally has slight amplitude variances. With the optional English subtitles, though, nothing is really overly problematic.

The New Testament Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The New Testament and My Father Was Right share a disc, on which the following supplements can be found:

• Introduction to Sacha Guitry by Ginette Vincendeau (1080p; 12:10)


• Selected Scene Commentaries by Ginette Vincendeau

  The New Testament (1080p; 6:48)

  
  

  My Father Was Right (1080p; 4:58)

• Creatures féroces (1080p; 6:15) is a visual essay by Philippe Durant detailing Guitry's representation of women in his films.


• Pascal Thomas on My Father Was Right (1080i; 6:54)

The New Testament Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The New Testament tries mightily to create a lighter than air soufflé, but it's a little too labored to ever provide huge laughs. Though there are a few moments where Guitry attempts to "open up" the proceedings, this is probably one of the more obvious "filmed plays" of the set, and as such is kind of static feeling a lot of the time. Video and audio show their age, but as usual Arrow has provided some enjoyable supplements.